A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Biennial Evaluation Report - FY 93-94

Chapter 334

Supported Employment State Grants Program for Individuals with the Most Severe Disabilities

(CFDA 84.187)

I. Program Profile

Legislation: Rehabilitation Act of 1973, P.L. 93-112, Title VI, Part C, as amended by P.L. 102-569 and P.L. 103-73, Sections 631-638 (U.S.C. 795 j-q) (expires September 30, 1997).

Purpose: The State Supported Employment Services Program authorizes formula grants (supplementary to grants for vocational rehabilitation services under Title I) to assist States in developing collaborative programs with appropriate public agencies and private nonprofit organizations to provide supported employment services for individuals with the most severe disabilities who require these services to enter or retain competitive employment.

Funding History

Fiscal Year	Appropriation
1987	$25,000,000
1988	25,935,000
1989	27,227,000
1990	27,630,000
1991	29,150,000
1992	31,065,000
1993	32,273,000
1994	34,190,6401/

1/ One percent minority outreach set-aside of $345,360 deducted from appropriation.

II. Program Information and Analysis

Population Targeting

The State Supported Employment (SE) Services Program, administered through designated State units, provides services to individuals with the most severe disabilities. The purpose of the program is to help persons with the most severe disabilities who may have been considered too disabled to benefit from vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to achieve competitive vocational outcomes.

Services

Supported employment placements are achieved by augmenting short-term VR services with ongoing support provided by other public or nonprofit agencies or organizations. VR State agencies provide time-limited services for a period not to exceed 18 months, unless a longer period to achieve job stabilization has been established in the individual written rehabilitation program. Once this period has ended, the State agency must arrange for extended services provided by other appropriate State agencies, private nonprofit organizations, or other sources including natural supports for the duration of that employment. Decisions regarding services to be provided are based on an individualized written rehabilitation program developed by the VR counselor and the individual to be served.

Program Administration

States must submit an approved state plan, supplemental to the Title I state plan, to receive an allotment. No more than 5 percent of a State's allotment can be used for administrative costs. There is no matching requirement.

Outcomes

Data for the Title VI, Part C program are obtained through the RSA-911 Case Service Report and the RSA-636 Annual Supported Employment Caseload Report. Data from the RSA-911 reflect the summary of information across the life of the case of those individuals who are rehabilitated through the VI-C program. Annual data from the RSA-636 were first collected in FY 1992. Highlights of the two data systems include:

RSA-911 data for FY 1991 showed that 6,711 individuals were rehabilitated with an average cost for purchased services of $3,935. The average duration in the VR program was 18.6 months.
RSA-636 data for FY 1992 showed that there were 22,401 active VI-C cases; of these, 6,370 were closed rehabilitated, 5,557 met all the criteria for closure, and 813 met some of the criteria. There were 13,004 cases remaining in active status at the end of FY 1992. RSA-636 data for FY 1993 show 24,203 cases; of these, 7,131 were closed rehabilitated, 5,740 met all the criteria for closure, 884 met some of the criteria, and 14,247 cases remained active at the end of the fiscal year.

The 1992 Amendments to the Rehabilitation Act clarified that the SE program is to serve individuals with the most severe disabilities. Data on the impact of the Amendments in focusing these programs on individuals with the most severe disabilities will be available in FY 1995.

Management Improvement Strategies

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) has implemented a system for reviewing case record documentation for Title VI, Part C, which is part of the Case Review System for the Vocational Rehabilitation program under Title I of the Rehabilitation Act, and has developed a supplement to the State Plan Assurance Review (SPAR) for Title I. These instruments are used for monitoring State agency performance

III. Sources of Information

State Plan Supplement for the Supported Employment Services Program.
The Annual Report to Congress for Fiscal Year 1992 on Supported Employment Activities under Section 311(d) of the Rehabilitation Act, as amended. (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Rehabilitation Services Administration, in clearance).
Preliminary data from RSA-911.
Program files.

IV. Planned Studies

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) continues to fund a Research and Training Center to study supported employment programs to determine what strategies the States have employed in developing a Statewide system of supported employment; to further identify long-term financial support available to the program; and to determine the number of persons served, cost of services, and the employment history of those served in supported employment programs funded under State grant and discretionary grant authorities.

In FY 1995, RSA plans to initiate a two-year study to evaluate the effectiveness of extended services in the Supported Employment program and to evaluate the use of natural supports. The purpose of the program is defeated unless effective extended services are available and utilized. During the past several years, extensive progress has occurred in securing sources of funding for extended services. However, major problems exist in establishing and/or maintaining these funding streams. Also, no substantial data or analyses exist on the effectiveness, stability, extensiveness, or availability of these services. The purposes of this study would be to:

assess the availability of extended services including natural supports, particularly for unserved and underserved disability groups;
assess the stability and length of provision of extended services;
assess the availability of natural supports and the effectiveness of these supports;
assess the comprehensiveness (i.e., type and number of services provided) and the cost of extended services; and
evaluate the effectiveness of extended services in maintaining the individual in competitive employment.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Program Operations:: Barbara Sweeney, (202) 205-9544
Program Studies:: Lenore Garcia, (202) 401-3630

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